How come Max is still in his prime but people say that Aldo was past prime when he fought Volk?

[IMPmmath]

Maybe Aldo should bulk up on some Brazilian churrascarrea and go for a final run at 155

 

[Kratos94]

It's not difficult to look in your prime when faced with an opponent incapable of adapting. Gaethje was never going to trouble Holloway outside of leg kicks (which, even then, did minimal damage).

 

[simpforelon]

illogical cope is why.

 

[Titan1980]

I think besides the physical factors that contribute to a fighter losing their peak form is also the mental. From my experience, at about 10 years of doing something a person losing their mental motivation to continue their trade and begin the process of finding renewal through something new. I think being a professional athlete is no different. After 10 years you're just tired of doing the same thing all day everyday.

 

[Shaddows]

Everyone's primes are the same. Everyone accumulates the same injuries. Everyone trains the same. Max and Jose both got in motorcycle accidents. Max and Jose both kept sparring.

However, to delve further into it, most fighters begin to experience an athletic, reactionary and ability to absorb damage decline about ten to twelve years in. GSP is considered one of the greats and his career was winding down in '13 after almost twelve years of fighting, prompting him to retire. Condit's descent began in '14 after starting in '02 when he got injured against Woodley. Aldo was a few months shy of his twelfth year in MMA at 29 when he began to lose. Fedor started taking losses almost eleven years in. Edgar wasn't the same thirteen years in. Big Nog eleven years. Liddell hit the wall around that time.

Yes, there are outliers like Mighty Mouse, Jon Jones (wink, wink) Anderson Silva (wink, wink), and apparently Max (who stopped sparring to spare his health and try to stave off decline), but for the most part, the majority of top fighters experience it after or around this time frame and begin to taste defeat more often as reflexes change; wear takes it toll; chins fade; injuries linger; weight cuts get harder; there's more tape available on you.

To hammer home my point: Volkanovski lost to Ilia three months shy of his twelfth year as a mixed martial artist. He's still a great fighter, but at 35, and this far into his career, he'll likely never be the same.

you cover all but one more (and IMHO more important) point.
Most dominant fighters and even more dominant champions, they have that "aura of invincibility". They start losing fear (which many times contributes to this champion become even more daring and thus more dominant), a loss can be many times worse in his brain (and not just by the hits he'll take in a sudden/punishing loss).
All of a sudden, they hesitate. And this hesitation leads to their opponents become more brazent, and respect the old champion even less.

Just look at Aldo's good friend Renan Barao.
Had an amazing win streak and while many would try to demean the feat of being invincible for 34 pro-fights, when he came into the UFC, he beat legends like Faber (twice), wineland, etc.
Anderson Silva, same thing.
Junior.
I think that the mental game is harder to "fix" once broken than any physical damage.

Note: I hope you see that I am not disagreeing with anything you said in your post (well... almost, but that was NOT the point)... I was adding to it..

 

[Westbrick]

They're not the same, Aldo was out of prime after the TKZ fight when he FUCKED UP HIS FOOT, that's pretty obvious.
Aldo's fighting since 16yo, training like a retard in Nova União (basically fighting multiple times every week).

 

[michi972]

I'll never get over that and the fact that we didn't get to see Aldo vs Cruz.

Or Aldo vs Pettis

 

[Neck&Neck]

A lot of Island folks have a different prime then us regular mortals
Hawaii Prime is another level of toughness

 

[Young Calf Kick]

When your favourite fighters start losing, they are past their prime. When fighters you dislike start losing, they are still in their prime; they just suck.

this is the only correct answer

 

[SkinnyClaw]

I don't understand when people talk about being in your prime in your 30s... I'm 31, and I feel like absolute dogshit compared to 3 or 4 years ago, and I have some crazy good genetics. I get mistaken for a 20 year old all the time too, so I'm not even an 'old' 31 year old. Aldo just looks like an old guy for his age too. People will peak at different ages, how is this even a question

 

[J'Ghasta]

Mendes 2 war and Conor KO fucked Aldo up physically and mentally beyond repair and they were back to back. Max never suffered anything in his career as devastating as that. Plus the two hellish beatings from Max that came before Volkanovski. He took career changing damage in those 3 years.

 

[MDoza]

Styles contribute to longevity.

Aldo’s game was heavily reliant on his speed, which is one of the first traits to decline with age.

 

[djacobox372]

Sherdog before Fedor Werdum fight : easy win, Fedor is invincible.
After fight : fluke lucky
Next fight vs Big Foot : Feodr 100%. Goat.
After fight : he is out of his prime boys.

You realize this is exactly the end of every great fighter's career, unless they puss out like Kahbib and GSP.

 

[Trabaho]

You realize this is exactly the end of every great fighter's career, unless they puss out like Kahbib and GSP.

If Khabib and GSP pussed out after 29 fights. What does that make you ?

Khabib and GSP aren't broke like the rest. Old man Fedor still needs koney fighting at 48.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

After losing to Holloway the 2nd time he would go 5-4 and definitively beat Stephens, Moicano, Vera, Munhoz, and Font. All those guys were or still are staples of their division and Aldo make it look easy. Even in some of his losses he put in great performances like when he stopped all of Merab's takedown attempts and had that war with Yan for the belt. He clearly had a lot left in the tank after that.

Yeah, Aldo's decline was a slow one starting from around the KZ fight where he broke his foot and was never able to kick the same way again and drastically changed up his style to way more of a boxer and even used takedowns when he never did previously.

 

[cburm]

I mean, When Aldo fought Volk he wasn't even 33 years old.
Holloway is now just 4 months younger than Aldo was when Volk dominated him in Brazil.
Look at what he did to the most violent LW of all time.

Aldo has been fighting at the highest level (including WEC) since 2008 while Max was fighting at the highest level since 2012.
That means Aldo was 11 yeas in when he fought Volk and Max was 12 years in when he KOed Gaethje.

Not to mention, that Aldo looked very good after the Volk loss and he was actually improving all the way up to the Merab loss.
His boxing was better than ever, he was setting personal best records, his TDD was as good as ever, he was even bringing back leg kicks to some extent.

Even if we count their entire careers(amateur included) Max was fighting since 2006 while Aldo was fighting since 2004.

In my opinion prime version of fighters like Max, Volk and Petr would beat any version of Aldo simply because they have much better gas tanks and chins.

So, If he really wasn't in his physical prime when he fought Volk then when was he, from which fight to which?

Age

 

[Ibm]

This mentality always boggled my mind too. Some guys are "old" but other guys that are the same age are "kids" or "new generation". I Remember when noguera came to the UFC people said he was way too old but he was just 30 lol.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

This mentality always boggled my mind too. Some guys are "old" but other guys that are the same age are "kids" or "new generation". I Remember when noguera came to the UFC people said he was way too old but he was just 30 lol.

It's almost like you read none of the replies in this thread. Big Nog started MMA very young. Watch Big Nog fight Sergei Kharitonov and then watch him in the UFC and try and say he doesn't look like he has declined.

 

[Ibm]

It's almost like you read none of the replies in this thread. Big Nog started MMA very young. Watch Big Nog fight Sergei Kharitonov and then watch him in the UFC and try and say he doesn't look like he has declined.

I wasn't specifically targetting this thread, Im just saying over the years its been like this with fans in general. No personal attacks.

 

[jeff7b9]

He was already on the decline as an athlete. Anyone with eyes could see it from his WEC years. He also had a terrible back injury in a bike accident, and foot problems.

If anything Aldo should get credit for continuing to win at a high level even without arguably his best weapons:

Kicks
Knees